“That little witch. I knew she’d eventually pull something like this.” Allison leaned forward, her blue eyes turning to glacial shards. “She wants your money, Trev. She’s nothing like Desiree.”
Growing rage overrode Trev’s effort at staying levelheaded. Allison refused to see her own responsibility in the events that led to this pending investigation. She chose to blame everyone else. “Leah doesn’t have a choice about calling this in. Her job makes her a mandated reporter, and she is required to file a statement. You got a copy of the paperwork. Did you ever read it?”
Allison blinked like an animal caught in a scope.
“I didn’t think so,” Trev spat out. He hated having to defend Leah, but Allison needed to understand the gravity of her actions. “Besides, this isn’t about Leah. It’s about our family surviving another scandal with you in the crosshairs this time. Leah wouldn’t have anything to report if it weren’t for the fact that you pushed Mom, stole her money, and left her with a bump on her head without even asking how she felt.” Trev furrowed his brow in concern. “What’s happened to you?”
“APS.” Allison bristled, but her words held a taint of worry. “We’ve had the police out here and Desiree’s parents’ private investigator. APS is small potatoes.”
Trev’s frustration overrode all reason. He had to make his sister understand the magnitude of her actions and the consequences. Reaching across the desk, he grabbed his sister’s hands, his look penetrating.
Allison’s eyes widened in surprise.
Trev squeezed his sister’s fingers. “They have the power to make our lives a living nightmare, Allison. They can file a protection order, file for guardianship, or refer Mom to other agencies. They can investigate our finances, and they’ll be coming into our home. They can file a report with the police for assault.”
Allison stared at Trev. She bit her bottom lip, an uneasy expression coming to her face. She removed her hands from Trev’s and squirmed in her seat.
Finally, Trev had made some headway. His voice softened. “Is that what you want?”
Allison’s eyes grew large. She shook her head. “Of course not. What can we do?”
“We’ll have to tell the truth because of Leah’s report. You’re going to need to research this, Allison. Find out all you can about APS and how they work. They’ll be making an unscheduled visit sometime within the next two weeks. That means they could come tomorrow or any day between now and mid-August. So get started on learning what we need to do. We’ll call a family meeting first thing in the morning to figure out our next move.”
Allison agreed as she stood and moved toward the door. “I’ll get started now.” Reaching for the knob, she turned back to face him. “You have to believe me. I didn’t want this to happen,” she murmured. “I didn’t mean to hurt her.”
Allison looked small against the heavy wooden door of Trev’s office. Her façade cracked, showing him a glimpse of the little sister he used to know before Desiree died. His anger settled. “I know, but you did.”
Allison bit her lip and nodded before slipping through the door with barely a sound.
Trev’s body sagged as he turned his chair to face his window. Night fell over the lake, the soft lavender twilight reflecting in the water. His day flashed before him. Just this morning, sitting in this very chair, his hopes had risen higher than he’d thought possible. Leah had turned both his family and his life completely around. Thanks to her, his father’s strength had returned to the point where Trev asked him to accompany him on the trip to Little Rock. She’d brought vitality, sweetness, and a new green hope to his life that he’d once thought beyond resuscitation. Now, even though that life was only hours away from his present moment, it felt like a dream that had never happened.
He recalled his and Leah’s earlier discussion. Mean. Angry. Defensive. Heat from their argument rose into his chest. He rubbed the back of his neck as he broke out into a sweat. But hostility didn’t rise with this new hot tide. It was devastating shame. If his family knew about his breakup with Desiree, what shift would that have created? Would Allison carry her grief in a way that blamed their mother? He shrunk in his chair. In his effort to protect himself, he’d sacrificed everyone else, and now that included Leah.
He searched his heart for his earlier anger toward Leah and wished for its return, but it had disappeared like the earlier storm. The storm. He recalled Leah’s dislike for them, and now he understood why. In its wake, nature’s fury had left a bright and sunny landscape, but Trev’s inner squall left nothing but a twisted and ruined wreckage.
Chapter 23
Leah hung up the phone from her conversation with the APS intake social worker. The answer to each question felt like a betrayal, even though she’d kept it succinct, professional, and without any embellishment. And in spite of Trev’s stinging accusation, she hadn’t spoken of Desiree. None of it was relevant to what had happened between Allison and her mother, and if the APS investigator wanted to know more, they could do their own search.
Leah closed her eyes. Most likely, that search would take place. A twinge of empathetic sorrow for what Trev’s family would be going through made Leah squirm, but it didn’t change her mind. Allison had pushed her own mother for money. The earlier compassion retreated into a hard shell. Leah was responsible for the welfare of the Michaels parents but that didn’t equate to the blame Trev tried to thrust on her.
How could he claim she didn’t see what she’d obviously witnessed while scolding her for her own family troubles? It was beyond comprehension. How dare Trev pull her father into their argument. Still, she couldn’t dismiss his observation. Annoying discomfort from her fight with her father overrode her earlier contempt for Trev, and she did her best to edge away from thoughts of her family. She had other concerns. Tomorrow, she needed to return the ring to Trev.
Hurrying to her room, Leah dug around the top drawer of her nightstand, feeling in the corner for the small box where she’d placed the ring. Pulling it out, she gazed at the deep ocean blue of the sapphires and the brilliant perfection of the center diamond. How could she give up two paid years of medical school? She clenched the ring, the prongs digging into her skin and hardening her determination. She didn’t want anything tying her to Trev or his family.
Her phone chirped, quickening Leah’s heart. Maybe Trev was calling to apologize. She chastised herself for her hope. Hadn’t she just dismissed having any connection to Trev? Checking the screen with one hand, she thrust the ring into the pocket of her jeans. Paige. Leah shrank from the idea of talking to her sister. But she needed Paige’s advice, and her sister would have questions.
She took the call. “Hey, Paige.”
“Do you want to come over?” Paige asked. “Or meet someplace? We need to talk.”
The thought of seeing her sister made Leah weary. “I’d rather not. It’s been a pretty bad day.”
“What’s going on?” Leah heard the concern in her older sister’s voice.
“Trev and I broke up. Actually, the whole thing is broken. I quit.” Hearing the truth come from her own mouth sucked the air out of Leah’s lungs.
Paige gasped. “Oh, Leah. Was this over what happened here at the house with Dad? I’m so sorry. I had no idea Mom and Dad were going to show up. They’ve never done that sort of thing before. I guess they were in the neighborhood and wanted to see the boys. When they noticed the table was set for company, they asked who was coming, and I told them it was you and … a friend. I didn’t know what else to say.”
Leah sighed. “It’s not your fault, Paige. And no, my and Trev’s breakup has nothing to do with what happened at your house.” Leah fidgeted with unease. That wasn’t entirely true.
Paige continued, “What happened?”
Leah desperately wished to tell her sister every detail about the fight between her and Trev. She needed someone to be on her side, but she was governed by law that required her to keep the story confidential. Some secrets needed to be kept. “I c
an’t say much, because it’s work-related, but we’re through.”
“Are you sure it’s a hopeless cause? I mean, coming off of the emotional experience at my place, you may not be the best judge,” Paige replied.
Leah bit her lip with doubt. Had she been too sensitive? No. Trev had been beyond rude.
Paige continued, “Trev’s behavior was stellar that afternoon with Dad, and he treated you with such tenderness while the two of you were here. I wouldn’t give that up unless I absolutely had to.” She paused, and her voice grew small. “Did Trev hurt someone?”
Leah rushed to Trev’s defense. “No. Nothing like that. But he made it clear that I’m an employee first, and being his girlfriend is way down on the list.”
“I can understand how that might be hard to take. Were you acting like an employee?”
Leah wanted to deny that her behavior had anything to do with being an employee, but it was her work as a caregiver that put her in the position to make the call to APS. “Yeah. I guess so,” she conceded.
Paige’s voice turned wary. “What about the ring?”
Leah chased away any uncertainty with her determination. “I’m giving it back. I don’t want anything of his or his family’s.” Saying it out loud helped solidify Leah’s choices.
“Are you sure? From what you told me, it was a gift, and it’d be such a help for you.”
Words unspoken hung on the line. Trev’s gift would help the whole family. Pride rescued Leah from changing her mind. She wouldn’t give Trev the satisfaction of seeing her go back on her word. “I’ll be able to work as an RN soon,” she said. “And I’ll figure out a way to ease Mom and Dad’s burden. I can do this without Trev and his money.”
Paige relented. “Okay. I can understand how you’d feel that way.” She changed directions. “Leah, I know you’re having a bad day, but I need to ask you some questions about what happened here at the house with Mom and Dad.”
Leah’s shoulders sagged. Fresh guilt eroded her earlier staunch position around her parents. “Yeah, I know.” This was turning out to be the worst day of her life.
“What happened, Leah? What did you mean when you said you weren’t like Dad and you wouldn’t make the same mistakes? He refused to speak of it after you left.”
Leah stood and began pacing, her thoughts jumbled in a tangled in a web of past and present hopes and promises. She hesitated. “I don’t know if I should share his story with you, Paige. After all, if Dad didn’t want to talk about it, maybe it needs to stay a private.”
“Oh, you let the secret out right here in my living room when you told him you wouldn’t make his same mistakes.”
Leah cringed with remorse at the memory of her own hateful words, and Paige wasn’t going to let her get away without talking about it. She settled back on the couch with a sigh before telling Paige the story of their father’s college experience.
“I didn’t know any of that,” Paige said breathlessly.
A twinge of jealousy pinched Leah. “Consider yourself lucky. There’s a certain price that comes with holding on to Dad’s secrets.”
“I guess they’re doled out on a need-to-know basis. What are you going to do?” Paige asked.
Surprise overrode Leah’s earlier muddled regret. “Me? Nothing. Why?”
“Leah, you can’t let it stand like this. I hate to tell you, but you were awful.”
Heat fluttered in Leah’s chest. “What about Dad? You saw the way he treated Trev.”
“I’m not defending him, but your reaction was way over the top, and I don’t understand it. You could’ve just told Dad that you weren’t going to stay in his company if Trev wasn’t welcome, or you could’ve spoken to him in private. Did you really need to embarrass him in front of everyone, including your billionaire boyfriend?”
Fuming, Leah wanted to reject Paige’s thoughtful response, but her own words made her hot with unease. I’m not you, and I’ll never make the same mistakes you made. You think I want to live hand-to-mouth for the rest of my life, relying on the government to get my teeth cleaned or see the doctor? Leah wished she could crawl into a hole.
Paige was silent, leaving Leah alone with the replay of the words she’d thrown at her father.
Leah stood and began pacing, her voice still holding an edge. “He doesn’t have the right to make my decisions for me any longer. I was fifteen when we talked about my future, and I still want to be a doctor, but I’m not that fifteen-year-old any longer.”
“Of course you’re not. I said that a while ago, but he still has the right to your respect, and that was sorely lacking during that conversation,” Paige snapped. “He and Mom have given up a lot to get you to where you are. If you want to call him out on how he treated Trev--.” Paige stopped. The line went silent.
Leah’s heart skipped a beat, and she sat up on the couch. “Paige?”
“You’re embarrassed, aren’t you? That’s why you never wanted Justin to meet our parents, and it’s why you were so hard on Dad in front of Trev. It’s not just about Dad’s reaction to your decision to date. Our family embarrasses you in front of your fancy friends.”
Humiliation, warm and sticky, weaved into Leah’s memory of standing on Justin’s front porch, coupling with the afternoon when she’d stood in Allison’s room. In those moments when she’d needed to defend her family, Leah had tried to distance herself from them and their working-class roots by relying on her status as a student and someday doctor. Leah scrunched her eyes tight to keep from seeing what Paige had exposed, but the vision of her standing in Allison’s room, trying to explain her family’s poverty by standing on the pedestal of becoming a physician, made her recoil.
Paige’s voice turned into a sad lament. “How could you, Leah? I know Mom and Dad don’t have much, but they’ve given everything they have to us. Your goals and schooling have always been a family effort. Mom and Dad worked long hours, and while they were on the job, I watched Gina and Sophia so you could study. I missed out on track my senior year because I needed to be home with our sisters.” Her voice grew soft. “When Dad bought that old VW, it barely ran, and the inside smelled like beer and cigarettes. He spent hours fixing the engine and cleaning up the interior.” She paused. “He has nothing but pride for you, and you’re embarrassed because he’s a mechanic.”
Leah’s defenses fled under her sister’s scrutiny. Paige’s words stripped her bare of false pride and the thin cloak of her would-be status. She was standing on the shoulders of her parents, who bore the weight of every single hope with uncomplaining effort and uncompromised belief in her abilities. She had not returned the favor. In fact, when faced with opposition, such as Allison or even Justin, she’d cringed at being the Thomases’ daughter, when they had given her everything within their power to propel her to a success she had chosen.
Leah reached for the couch and fell into the cushions as her knees gave way. Every word Paige uttered was the truth and it ravaged her carefully constructed vision of her family and world. She’d always known about her parents’ sacrifices, but when had she started taking them for granted? Had she ever really appreciated them? And she never realized what her sisters had given up in order for her dream to take center stage. She searched for something to soften the sharp reality, but there was nothing. “Paige—I—”
Paige’s voice softened. “Dad has been your biggest champion. He’s invested in your education and your future in ways that don’t apply to me or our sisters. I’ve always known that if for some reason you didn’t go on to become a physician, it would ruin him. Now I know why.”
Leah’s early embarrassment about her family’s poverty and her recent frustration over her father’s behavior struggled to rise. “It’s not fair for me to have to carry that,” she whispered.
“I agree, and it’s not yours to carry, so tell him that. But Leah, don’t just remember where he’s failed. You’d better remember where he’s found success. It’s in his work ethic. His ability to give at the expense of him
self, and in his fatherhood. You don’t want to let that go.”
Despair shattered Leah’s inner landscape. The useless status she craved was a cardboard house when her family offered her brick and mortar and a willingness to help her build whatever she dreamed. “Oh, Paige. I’m so sorry.”
“I’m not the one you’ve slighted, Leah. We’ve always been close.” Her sister’s voice softened. “It’s why I feel I can tell you these things.”
“I know.” Leah’s words were barely above a whisper.
A piercing scream came across the line. One of the twins was having a meltdown. Somehow, Leah knew just how he felt. She wanted to throw herself onto the floor and howl, not because she had been robbed or cheated, but because she’d been the one who’d inflicted the damage. That hurt caused so much agony, she wished to retract from herself and pretend she didn’t know that woman who could be so ashamed of her family.
“Look, I need to go,” Paige said. “The boys both want the same toy, and I’m going to need to referee.”
Leah appreciated the normalcy provided by two screaming toddlers. It meant she and Paige would survive this horrible revelation. “Yes, of course.”
After a quick goodbye, Leah hung up. The silence of her apartment deafened her, leaving room for Paige’s words replaying in her head, giving her no other option but to scrutinize herself and the horrifying results that came with what she had pretended to be. Her shame around her family dismissed their sacrifices, but just as important, it negated the love behind everything they’d given up. What had Paige said? Leah was embarrassed in front of her fancy friends. It was worse than that. Her humiliation around her family extended to her wealthy enemies, too.
Drawing her knees tight to her chest, Leah wanted to make herself so small that Paige’s disgraceful revelation would simply pass her by, but its truth pummeled her with dreadful clarity.
The Billionaire's Family Secret (Billionaire Bachelor Mountain Cove Book 15) Page 18
